THB #308: Sundance & Rape

This piece is kind of a sidebar to my normal Sundance coverage. It isn’t about what’s great or not, or what is selling.

I saw Victim/Suspect today and I don’t think the film is the best piece of documentary filmmaking I have seen. But, it is one of the most important films at Sundance this year.

For me, the film takes me back to two former Sundance films that didn’t get the attention they deserved, then or now.

In 2001, a movie called Raw Deal: A Question of Consent premiered at Sundance and became an on-site drama before it even screened, as the rapey boys of the Florida State frat that was involved in the events of the doc threatened all kinds of lawsuits. Only 7 reviews are left on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was bought by Artisan Films for what I believe was then a record price… and promptly disappeared. They would not distribute it. Various stories about why circulated. One was that the music in the handicam footage that made up much of the movie could not be cleared at a price that …